Orlando Bloom Serves Nepal for UNICEF

Orlando Bloom wears flower garlands and a red “tikka” mark on his forehead (local symbols of welcome) while visiting ethnic Tharu children and women at the Sayapatri Community Organization in the village of Dibyanagar in Chitwan district, Nepal.

In his role as an international ambassador for the charity UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund), Orlando, 30, toured UNICEF-supported programs in the country’s western region November 30 – December 9, 2007, meeting with UNICEF staff, health facilitators and educators, as well as women’s and other community groups.

Nepal is still recovering from a decade-long civil war that left 13,000 people dead, hampered the delivery of basic services and restricted development of the nation. Malnutrition is the underlying cause of more than 60 per cent of child deaths in Nepal; an estimated 51 per cent of children under the age of five stunted in growth and 48 per cent considerably underweight. However, maternal mortality has significantly reduced from an estimated 539 deaths per 100,000 births in 1996 to 281 maternal deaths per 100,000 births in 2006. Child deaths are also on the decline, putting Nepal on track to reach Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5 (the reduction of under-five child mortality and improved maternal health).